The Love of a Sister
by idle hands 418
Summary: Bella is the sister and almost mother of her two younger siblings, Lucy and Mia. Her mother abuses her and her youngest sister. Bella cuts through the pain of taking care of her sisters. When a new teacher comes to Forks, will her be able to help her? AH
1. Chapter 1

_You, my favorite teacher told, me I could tell you anything. When I came to you crying, dizzy and losing blood from the cuts on my wrist, you didn't even question me. You just put me in your car and drove me to the hospital, holding my hand the whole time. Thanks for keeping your promise._

I stumble down the halls, dizzy, my vision blurry from crying, bleeding profusely and barely breathing. I know you will be there. You're always the last one left in school, so I'm never afraid to yell for you through the halls. I promised you and Alice last time would be the last one. I'm sorry. After he did what he did, I couldn't find you. You weren't there. I thought of the next best thing.

When I feel the familiar razor slash through the soft membrane, a sigh escapes my lips. The scarlet liquid gracefully bubbled over and usually that's enough. Not this time. It didn't numb me. Screeching in frustration, I start sawing through my skin, with each push and pull, an ounce of security covers me. I keep going until I feel the sharpest pain I've ever felt in my life. I scream as loudly as my restricting lungs will allow me.

It's only us in the whole school. He had left already. Good. You would kill him, bring him back to life, and kill him again if he was still here when I told you. Stumbling down the hallway, my vision wavering, I couldn't remember where your room was.

Finally, I see a door that looks familiar. I throw it open and stare at you, trying to somehow catch air in the lungs that had shrunken to a lima bean's size. I collapse. You curse.

You run to me and lean over checking my pulse.

"Keep breathing," you yell. "Stay focused on my voice. Stay awake, sweetie. Stay awake. I'm going to help you. Open your eyes, honey, don't sleep. Stay awake for me, darling. You're shivering. Why are you shivering? Can you talk to me? Tell me what happened, pumpkin. Can you talk?"

"I can talk," I gasp brokenly.

"What happened, baby doll?" you murmur, sitting me up against the wall.

"Do you remember when I told you I get scared by the way touches me and looks at me sometimes?" I whisper.

You pause. I didn't even have to finish the thought. You understand. I watch your eyes through my tears and wavering vision. Fear, hatred, revulsion, protection, possession, love, passion, and despair fill them simultaneously.

"Oh Dear God. Where is he? WHERE IS HE? I swear to GOD if I find him-"I cut you off.

"Please." I rasp.

You calm down when you hear the pain in my voice.

"Sweetheart, you have to tell me. Did he... hurt you?" you ask. Your voice expresses the careful and measured manner you always use when I cry. I feel you clean the scars and hear lose your breath when you saw my blood stained wrist and blue tinged skin. You stand up and speak.

"Love bug, listen. We're going to have to go to the hospital. I have no idea how much blood you've lost but I know it's not good. "

I hear the door open. It's Alice. Thank Jesus.

"Hey Edward, have you seen Bella? Lucy called me shivering. She ran away from that social worker looking for Bel…" She trails off. She looks at me, then you, then back to me. Her eyes widen with horror and fury and she shrieks a stream of profanities. She flies across the room and crashes into you with all of her might, leaving you suffocated in a flurry of her raven colored tresses.

"What did you do to her? What's wrong with her?" She's whacking you in the chest with all of her strength. "Get away from her!" she weeps. You take both of her wrists in one of your hands and she barely hesitates before resorting to kicking.

"Alice! You know I would never hurt her and we can't help her if you keep hitting me! I need you to calm down, take her keys, go get the girls and keep them with you until I can call you." You demand.

Tears are streaming rapidly out of Alice's big brown eyes. They are rimmed with red. Taking shaky, gasping breaths, and my keys, she throws me a desperate glance and hugs me gently. I was crying with worry for Lucy.

"I'll find her, Bella. I'll get Mia. Just please be okay." She kisses me on the cheek then turns to you. "You. Take her now. I don't care what you have to do. Make her better. Do we understand each other?" Her voice had a gloriously venomous tone that neither of us had ever heard her speak in before. You nod, frozen in fear. She smiles sadly.

"Good." She gives you a kiss on the cheek and gives me one last fleeting glance. Her beautiful face was contorted in misery and pain. She speaks in her twinkling voice and it cracks. "I love you, Bells. Be okay." She takes a shaky breath and with that, my best friend walks out of the room already dialing rapidly on her phone and barking briskly to someone she was talking to.

"Anyway, we need to get going." You sound like you're going to cry. "Can you walk?"

I guess me trying to stand, moaning, coughing and crumpling to the ground sobbing was enough to convince you that I couldn't.

"Honestly, I wasn't going to let you walk anyway. You're too weak." you explain. "Are you hungry?"

I shake my heard to humor you. You know I'm never hungry. I never eat what you give me. I shake my head anyway. You swear I'm thin enough to be a bookmark. I think you blame yourself. You make up for it by doing anything you can for my "frail, fragile and feeble body" making your arm my private, personal pillow, wrapping your hoodie around me every time I have even the slightest shiver, singing me to sleep on the hard nights, keeping me safe. Your voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Sunshine, I'm going to carry you to the car. Brace yourself, it might hurt." You swoop down and seize me by the back of my knees and neck, enveloping me in your warm, protecting arms easily. I hiss from the pain and clutch at your shirt. You smile at me sadly.

"It'll be over soon, baby." You assure me. You start to walk.

I hear you mutter, "So freaking light...I can't stand it," under your breath.

I curl into your broad chest and cradle my mutilated arm with the other. I try to find anything else concentrate on besides the blood. I settle on you. I count the breaths you take, deliberate your smooth and speedy gait, anticipate the next time you will shift me in your arms.

You open the door. I hiss as the cold air as it finds its way into the gashes. You pull me closer to protect me from the frigid air, shift me to hold me in one arm, and wrap the hoodie hanging from your arm around my tiny, violently quivering frame. Carefully, you set me down. You say you forgot your phone and you'd be right back. My dizziness comes back as soon as I'm out of your strong, safe arms.

I watch you reluctantly retreat back into the building and I wait on the curb with my head between my knees. I try to focus on the scent of your jacket. Then, I sense another presence. It's not you. It's him. A gloriously evil smirk fills his face.

"You really think you can get away, don't you? Don't you get it? You. Are. Mine." He sneers.

I'm being dragged to the other side of the building. He is choking me against the wall. I hear you calling for me hysterically as he turns me, face to the wall and twists my arm behind my back. The pain is almost blinding. He reopens the wounds and I scream with all the air in my body. Suddenly, I feel a sharp smack on my cheek and I am on the ground.

Before I register what happened, I am flung up and spun behind you and he is on the ground. I cringe when I hear the crunch of his nose.

"You're lucky I don't kill you while I have the chance." You snarl.

You turn to me with the hate still burning in your eyes. I flinch and cower away from you. I feel so weak I have to sit down. Concern and fear has replaced the abhorrence in your eyes. My eyes sting. I feel the skin below them and there is a slippery liquid. More blood? From my eyes? I cough. Blood from my mouth, too? My arms and legs are numb. My torso feels hollow. The cuts are streaming more red. All I see is red. I look up at you. Your skin is pale and your mouth agape. You shudder.

I don't realize you are carrying me until you start running. You put me in the car and drive far above the speed limit. You hold my hand the whole way, squeezing it every time I try to drift off. I cry the whole way, and sometimes, you cry with me. I understand what is going on when you fly into the ER, with me safely encased in your gentle and strong arms, and demand to see someone immediately. The woman at the desk shamelessly flirts with you, despite the dying teenager in your arms. You show no interest. I feel like I'm about to die until you start to talk to me to keep me awake.

"Honey, how are you feeling?" you ask, worriedly.

"I can only see red and black spots," I choke out.

"I'm tired of this. I don't care anymore. Let's go." You declare.

You plow through the door in spite of the shrieking banshee nurse.

"Someone get a doctor. Now." You speak the words so coldly, I recoil. You hug me closer to your body, and I relax.

A doctor who obviously has a lot of authority walks up to us. He has a respectable build, but is nowhere near as strong as you are. The doctor speaks angrily.

"You cannot be back here, sir."

You look down at me then look back at the doctor. In the most casual tone I've ever heard you use, you simple say "Just look at her."

The doctor notices me for the first time. His eyes widen in horror.

"Nurse!" he barks. "Nurse, get this patient to emergency surgery immediately!"

The doctor tries to take me out of your arms.

"No!" I shriek. "No, please God, no!" I know if you let me go he'll find me. I'm sobbing so much I can taste the tears and blood mingling with each other.

"He'll find me! Please! He'll find me!" I clutch at your shirt as you both try to pry me off away from you."

The doctor whispers to you, "Can you carry her until we can sedate her?"

You nod your head. "Definitely. She's almost lighter than air." Odd. I've never known you to exaggerate. We set off walking, then running.

I relax with each step you take. Through my tears I watch as you periodically look up from my face to see where you are going. My head feels like it is floating. Everything is turning white.

"I…I..,"

"What," you asked absentmindedly, trying to follow the doctor.

"I…my…it's too bright in here. Everything is white. Stay with me. Where…," I trail off.

"Honey…" your worried voice trails off.

I see a beautiful angel opening her arms to me. She looks like your mother. Long, straight dark brown hair, bright green eyes and a soft, loving face. I hear her call out to me. I just touch her fingertips when I feel my chest explode.

"Keep her breathing!" a gruff voice demands. "Jesus Christ, she's bleeding to death! She is dying! Rapidly! Almost a third of her body's blood is gone. This is impossible. She's going to die!" I hear and anguished groan. "The ulnar artery is shredded! Christ, how did she cut this deep? She's lost most of her body's blood. Keep her breathing! We're losing her! Give her the transfusion! Can someone fix this artery? Now? Please?"

I feel a needle being jabbed into my arm and I scream out in pain. I hear you scream with me, only with a little more pain than me.

"She's responsive. Sedate her. Now!" Voices flutter around me.

Another needle is stabbed into my other arm. I groan from the pain. All I think is of your face. It numbs me to a point of happiness. I wait out the rest of the procedure with patience. Anticipation for you to call me sweetie, honey, sunshine. Expectation of your warm, strong protective arms to encircle me as soon as they can. I wait for my superhero. I drift into a peaceful sleep.

When I wake up, I see your head in your hands while you are talking on your phone. Probably to Alice. I hear her screaming in the background that she found Lucy. You tell her to shush because I'm still sleeping. She quiets down. You haven't looked up yet. In the meantime I prepare for a story because I know you'll want the full explanation. I try to avoid this fate by closing my eyes and visualizing you.

You have beautifully copper colored hair and bright green eyes. Just like the angel.

Eyes that show me your true emotion and comfort me no matter what the situation. Eyes that sadly stare at me, hoping to heal me with a glance.

Your mouth which always turns up into a smirk or crooked grin, especially reserved for me. The mouth that lovingly sings the lullabies that calm me into sleep after the fights and the nightmares. The mouth softly speak my many names. Honey, sweetie, sunshine, darling.

The ears that can hear my very soul and real feeling through my façade of a normal teenage girl.

Hands that hold mine through the times of uncontrollable despair. Hands that caress the scars as if to make them disappear one touch. Hands that wipe away my tears every day. I take a deep breath and open my eyes.

You stutter and tell Alice you'll call her back and she starts freaking out. You hang up on her mid shriek. I await the warmth of your voice and eyes. When you look up at me, I see a cold, freezing cold, deadpan look.

"Okay," you say in a frigid, distant voice. "Where do you want to begin?"

I sigh. "From the very beginning, I suppose."


	2. Chapter 2

It was the third month of school. I hadn't met you yet. You were my second and third rotation teacher. I was "that girl". The girl who sat by herself at lunch, never talked, and accepted the bullying that resulted from it. Isabella Swan. I never supposed I was pretty by today's standards. But you insisted that I was a natural beauty. Never needed to wear makeup, I guess you meant. I never noticed it. One day, though, some other people saw that beauty. That was the day you became my superhero.

I was walking home from school, alone as always, when I noticed it started to get dark. I wasn't worried because, well, it was winter in northwestern Washington. The snow had fallen heavily. I had to lift my knees up to my stomach. I rounded the corner of the school to begin my trek home, when the biggest and strongest guy on our basketball team grabbed me by the waist and pushed me against the wall.

"You think you're better than all those other girls, huh?" he asked maniacally.

"N-no, I-I just-," I stammered. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he was much, much stronger than me. He slammed me back into the wall. I yelped in pain. He laughed.

"Don't try and get away, it won't work." He sneered evilly. He pulled me off the wall and pushed me onto the ground. I felt the snow on my neck and in my hair.

"Please don't…I just want to go home." I was crying.

"Aw, poor baby," he cooed. "Just give me a little sugar right here." I could smell the disgusting scent of alcohol on his breath. He started pushing my shirt up and I shivered from the cold I felt on my bare back and stomach.

"No," I muttered.

"What was that?" he snarled.

"NO! Get AWAY!" I screamed. "Help please, somebody, anybody plea-. " I lost my breath. He pulled me off of the ground and began choking me again. I begin to see black spots.

"Shh, it'll be over soo-," he was thrown off of me and onto the ground. I collapsed sobbing and inhaling as much air as I could. I looked up.

There you were already picking me up off the ground and onto my feet. I trusted you before I met you. I grabbed you're coat and pulled myself closer to you as I cried into your chest. You held me even though I was just some weird girl you had never met. And from that moment on, somehow I knew you would always be there to hold me. And that was the day I met my superhero.

**Okie dokey! SO that was chapter two. I know it was short but I'm almost done with chapter 3. Thanks for reading.**

**Love & Rockets,**

**Bri**


	3. Chapter 3

You gave me a ride home that day. I told you where I lived. On the outside, my family's house was beautiful, well kept and family oriented. The smaller kids' swing set, the bonfire pit and our garden that somehow still looked pretty in the winter. You pull into my driveway. The girls are on the porch. They never go inside without me.

When I step out my smallest sister, Mia zooms out to attack my legs. I pick her up and hold her tight. The older one, Lucy comes over and takes my hand. We walk into the house and I push them behind me. They run up the stairs when I tell them to. Mother walked over to me with a vengeance and slapped me across the face. You saw. You looked like you wanted to stride right in there and take us away from her. I shook my head slightly before I close the door. I watched you drive away slowly. Almost immediately after you turned the corner, Mother picked up the phone and started screaming through it to her boyfriend.

I hated letting the girls listen to it, so I bundled them up in their coats, mittens, scarves and boots and took them to the park to play for a while before I took them to work with me. I pushed them on the swings and caught Mia on her way down the slide. I went to sit on a bench and squinted through the snow, watching them play tag. Eventually, the little one got tired and came to sleep on my lap. Lucy came over and told me she was ready to go. It was too cold for her. Cradling Mia in one arm and holding Lucy's hand with the other, we set off walking through the blinding snow and wind.

When I got to work, I set the girls on the couch in the back for them to sleep and watch television. I put my apron on and walked to the front of the store. 10:30 already? I yawned and walked to the magazine section and finished arranging them, then mindlessly wandered over to the children's clothes section, straightening them up. It reminded me to buy Mia some new long sleeve shirts if it was going to be this snowy. I saw you walk in. You came over to me and stared for a while.

"Hey," you greeted me awkwardly.

"Hi." I said, and absentmindedly went back to sorting.

"How are you doing?" you asked sheepishly.

"I'm oka-"

"Bella! Bella! Where are you?" Mia tottered toward me, crying. She crashed into me shaking violently.

"What's wrong, Cara Mia?" I asked, concerned. I used the Italian pet name for her to try and soothe her. "Where's your sister?"

My question was quickly answered when my twelve year old sister came barreling around the corner out of breath.

"Bella, I'm sorry. She woke up crying from a nightmare and I couldn't catch her." Lucy apologized.

I look up at you. You look completely in awe at Lucy. Yes, she must be the prettiest of all of us. Long black hair, sapphire eyes, beautiful ivory skin, a small, huggable frame with a figure to die for were enough to make any girl self conscious looking at her. Mia looked so much like me; many people mistook her for my daughter, only her hair was curly. We both had dark mahogany colored hair, and Dark brown eyes with pale skin like Lucy's. Mia bounced around as gracefully as a four year old can, while I usually stumbled around on her heels making sure nothing happened to her.

Just as I was beginning to worry you were getting bored, Lucy launched right into a conversation with you. I made a note to thank her later, but now a sniffling toddler was holding onto my apron for dear life.

"Shh, it's all right now." I soothed her. I checked my watch. My shift was almost over. It was about midnight. Lucy was still chattering away to you. I shooed her away and told her to go get her sister dressed, it was time to go. Before she turned around to take her sister's hand, she shot me her big, dark blue, irresistible puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, Bella Bell, could me and Mia please get a piece of candy?" she pleaded in her lilting, soprano voice.

"..I guess so. Mind you grammar. Next time say Mia and I, Lucinda," I teased playfully."But…HEY!" She turned back toward me. "Do not, I repeat DO NOT, I reiterate DO NOT let her get any type of bubble gum, or I. Will. Fight you." I handed her five dollars.

She rolled her eyes and kissed me on my cheek.

"Okay, and thank you, Bella. Come on, Mia. Bye Edward!" she called out, waving. I turned to talk you.

"I forgot to say thank you for…you know…earlier." I said hesitantly. You shook your head.

"I couldn't have just let that happen to you." You explained. "Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

"I know. Thanks anyway. So what exactly are you doing in Wal-Mart at midnight?" I asked. You shifted uncomfortably.

"I needed to get out of the house for a while. My girlfriend is kind of overbearing," you said. I knew more than enough about overbearing. "Anyway, I don't think we've been formally introduced. Edward Anthony Mason Cullen, at your service forever more," You said in a phony British accent.

"Cool names, and British, are we?" I smirked. You blushed and nervously ran your hand through your hair.

"Yes. Genuinely, one hundred percent, pure British. No British accent, you may wonder. I was adopted." You explained before I asked. "And you are stalling from telling me your full, embarrassing name." My face flushed and you laughed at my easy embarrassment. I bucked up and boldly stuck out my hand.

"Isabella Farrah Natalia Rosalind Lillian Marie Elizabeth Cook, eternally beating you in the competition of middle names." I said boastingly. "I let the girls pick my middle names when I turned 18 and went to change it." You numbly shook my hand, mouth agape in shock. You snapped out of it and started cracking up. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at you. Just as I was about to scold you for laughing at my extensive quantity of names when Mia came skipping quickly and dangerously around the corner to me. She was just about to tumble into the floor when I leapt over to her and scooped her into my arms. Her mouth was covered in some kind of sticky substance. Bubble gum.

"Is she your daughter?" you asked tentatively.

"My sister," I corrected. You started to apologize, but I stopped you. "It's okay. We just look so much alike. Everybody thinks it. Don't worry about it." Now to find that devil child.

"Lucinda Grace Swan!" I yelled. I looked at you. "She only got one," I explained. You tried to stifle a chuckle.

Lucy bounced around the corner.

"What?" she grumbled.

"Why does she have bubble gum all over her face?" I asked adamantly.

"I don't know. I bought her chocolate. Maybe she took it off of the shelf while I was paying." She mused.

"Little girl, don't you ever take anything without me or Lucy paying for it, ok?"

Mia nodded endearingly.

"Can we go home now, Bella Bell?" She yawned.

I nodded. "Of course, Tootsie Roll. Let me call a taxi cab, okay?"

You looked troubled. You refused to let us ride home in a cab at half past midnight. Of course, you offered to drive us home and Lucy excitedly agreed. She and you got Mia to help you convince me. No matter how much I protested, the three of you eventually dragged me out to your car buckled into the front seat and you started driving us home.

The only reason I didn't want you to drive us home was that I didn't want you to see what Mother was going to do to me. When you pulled up into the driveway, we saw Mother standing in the doorway fuming and staring at me as if she could burn me to ashes. I flashed a quick look to Lucy, and told her to take Mia inside, run upstairs, lock the door and play loud music. She nodded and jumped out of the car with Mia as soon as you unlocked the door while you gave me a questioning glance. Mother sent Lucy a glittery, loving smile and shot malevolent glare targeted toward Mia. Then she turned toward me with the same expression. I took a deep breath. I finally spoke when I saw the girls run up the stairs.

"Thanks for the ride. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. Remember tomorrow is 2nd rotation? That means you're in my class next," Your eyes glittered with a wicked shine. "So when I ask for something interesting about yourself, don't forget to tell all of your middle names."

I didn't hesitate with a retort. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be interested about you French roots and midnight Wal-Mart escapades." You gawked at me. "Yeah," I smirked. "I'm an older sister."

I said goodbye to you and walked up the driveway to meet my fate. Mother gave you a superstar smile and a princess wave before shutting the door. She wheeled around and struck me on the cheek. I cried out in pain. That's when I heard the music.

_Thank dear heaven for Lucy. _

Mother stalked over to me, picked me up by the neck and threw me against the wall. For such a little woman, she was very strong.

Mother looked nothing like us sisters. She has black eyes and wavy red hair that. Mother never blushes and always looks like a supermodel. Designer clothes, bright red nail polish and flawless make up are the elements that compose her. Such a small lady, standing, even in high heels at about 5'6". She has lean arms, curvy, thin legs and an overall petite frame, yet she can still lift me off the ground with one hand without batting one mascara brushed eyelash.

Mother look at me with a death stare. "Where did you take my baby?" she snarled. She threw me across the room and I hit my head on her crystal vase. Thankfully, I caught it before it broke. All of a sudden, Mother was standing over me. She yanked the vase out of my hands and bashed it over my head. I screamed with all the air I had in my body. I felt blood dripping down my face.

"If you EVER take Lucy somewhere without telling me, I will kill you. I love her." She roared. Mother didn't say she loved me or Mia. She hates us. Mia trotted down the stairs.

"Mia!" Lucy yelled.

I heard Mia start shrieking and see Mother's seething face. I heard a slab and a shrill cry.

"Shut that kid UP!" She screeched.

Then I saw darkness.


End file.
